Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Concern for the environment is growing and more and more people are choosing to recycle. But some people suggest that recycling is not enough. They believe we need to consume less.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Environmental issues have been raising till today,but majority are concerned about clear ecosystem. With a pectic pace of life nowadays, people consume more and more, it requires huge recycling stations or just junk jards to get rid of their waste.Problem of rubbish contamination has different ways of solving so there are diverse thoughts what people can do to reduce damage to our planet. My opinion, that people should combine recycling with reducing their consumption to make it more effective for protecting our planet.

On the one hand, recycling plays a crucial role in managing waste and reducing environmental damage. Firstly, it significantly reduce leftovers in landfills which lies centuries there. Secondly, it can save natural materials and enormous amount of trees in forests, by reusing existing materials.Therfore, using recycled plastic can save

electricity, spending and clear ecosystem.For example, companies can use processed plastic instead of wasting money and electricity for making the new one.

Alongside recycling, reducing consumption is essential to solve the problem of damaging the environment.This is because buying less stops the problem even before it starts. If people reduce their consumption, companies would produce fewer goods and it saves electricity and materials required. So that, we would have fewer leftovers and reduce pollution of the air from factories. For instance, if majority choose not to buy cheap clothes for one use it would significantly lower the amount of wages.

To sum up, both recycling and consuming less together are crucial. Recycling helps to get rid of wages we have now and consuming less prevent from polluting at the moment.By combining them we can get the most efficient way of saving our ecosystem for the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views by explaining the benefits of recycling and arguing that consuming less prevents waste at its source. Your position—that the two approaches should be combined—is clear in the introduction and conclusion. Relevant support includes reusing plastic and buying fewer disposable clothes. However, several points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that recycling saves “enormous amount of trees” and the example about clothing do not clearly show the scale or mechanism of the benefit. The discussion of recycling is also more developed than the opposing view in places. To strengthen the response, explain each cause-and-effect link precisely and develop the examples so they directly support your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for recycling and reduced consumption, and a conclusion. This makes the two views easy to identify, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “Alongside recycling,” and “To sum up” help guide the reader. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and linking phrases can be mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, “So that, we would have fewer leftovers” does not connect smoothly to the preceding sentence, while the final paragraph repeats the combined approach without adding a clear synthesis. Some references, such as “it” in the consumption paragraph, could also be more precise. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, and ensure each paragraph develops one connected line of reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt topic-specific vocabulary, including “landfills,” “recycling,” “natural materials,” and “pollution,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make meaning unclear. “Clear ecosystem” does not express the intended idea, “junk jards” appears to mean junkyards, and “lower the amount of wages” does not fit the point about disposable clothing. There are also spelling errors such as “Therfore” and “wages” where “waste” seems intended. Aim for precise environmental vocabulary and check whether each word fits its context; this will make your arguments clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and some attempts at complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If people reduce their consumption, companies would produce fewer goods.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to follow. Examples include “Environmental issues have been raising,” “it significantly reduce,” and “which lies centuries there,” which show problems with verb forms, agreement, and clause construction. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: the opening paragraph contains run-on sentences, and spaces after commas and full stops are often missing. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentence patterns, then proofread each sentence for punctuation and grammatical links.

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